Fitzwilliam I have beaten Homerton I 6-1 this evening (26/11) in the 2nd Round of Cuppers at the Homerton Sports Ground.

A week of brewing excitement preceded the fixture, lending to the large turnout of fan support. Unlike last season’s final at Fitzwilliam Playing Fields, it was the Fitz faithful that had to embark on the wearisome trek to Long Road, but no doubt spirits were lifted by the excitement of ‘Friday Night Football’.

Getting into the action, shivering spectators saw a game that many predicted, but few wanted. In the cold and under the freezing lights, Fitzwilliam, unbeaten in their 2021-22 campaign, faced Homerton, a side who are yet to win this season, in a replay of last year’s final.

The two matches couldn’t have been less alike. Fitz showed their quality from the start, as star-man Lumi Kanwei was fed a delightful through ball down the right and finished coolly, sliding the ball into the net and leaving keeper Liam Matthews standing.

Homerton responded immediately, however, winning a penalty just seconds after Fitz had gone ahead. Midfielder Louie Roberts converted and parity was restored. Homerton, against the odds, had hope.

But this hope was soon crushed by the second penalty of the opening fifteen minutes; this time a stonewall in Fitz’s favour and Kanwei stepped up to bag his brace and Fitz’s second. Matthews may have felt unlucky not to save it after getting a finger on the strike.

Despite being down, Homerton continued to threaten through striker Kosi Nwuba, who forced a great stop from the otherwise untested Josh Douglas only minutes after the penalty.

As the half progressed, Fitz started to dominate midfield and Homerton struggled to get out their own half, being closed down by the lightning fast high-pressing of the energetic Fitz midfield three. This pressing paid dividends, as Homerton resorted to speculative long-balls that threatened little.

Soon, the floodgates opened and Fitz showed their superior class. Sonny McPherson ran a lovely overlap with Olamide Ogunnaike and pulled a fantastic ball back to striker Harry Houillon, who finished emphatically into the top corner to make it 3-1.

Minutes later, it was four. Lumi Kanwei, who the Homerton defenders will be having nightmares about tonight, bagged his hat-trick, creating a chance out of thin air, turning outside the box, and hammering it low past the keeper.

The first-half onslaught did not abate, as seconds before the half was over Tom Randall had a free-kick blocked by the wall that Harry Houllion was first to pounce on, smashing home the loose ball to make it 5-1 going into the break.

The game’s second half started with a bang, as Fitz bagged their sixth just after the restart. Tom Randall scored the game’s third penalty as fans were still returning from the warmth of the pavilion.

From then on, the second half was a shell of the first. Homerton grew into the game massively, but this was more thanks to Fitz taking their foot of the gas. Kosi Nwuba lofted an attempt on to the crossbar, sparking a spell of Homerton attacking dominance that ultimately came to nothing.

Meanwhile, Fitz still threatened yet lost some of their first-half conviction, and the game went flatter as the rain and cold worsened.

Both Homerton substitutes, Cyprian Kucaj and Mark Frazer, gave the home side energy, with the latter sparking wild celebrations with a goal that was eventually ruled out for offside. But Homerton’s midfield was disjointed - perhaps a consequence of fatigue - and seemed incapable of stringing together more than a few passes against a professional Fitz side whose Cuppers pedigree was on show for the weather-braving fans.

With the game finishing 6-1, a fair result prevailed. Homerton will feel disappointed with their performance, but given their league form and injury troubles the scale of defeat was unfortunately on the cards.

Fitzwilliam hardly put a foot wrong throughout the ninety minutes and their midfield reigned supreme. It will take something seriously special to stop them winning their sixth successive Cuppers title this season.

Varsity Player of the Match: Lumi Kanwei

Teams

Homerton I: Liam Matthews (GK), Torres Ng, Rony Chowdhry, Fred Sayer, Joe Lockhart (C), Jack Wilson-Smith, Funto Coker, Louie Roberts, Vadim Bakatin, Haeden Johnson, Kosi Nwuba

Substitutes: Lance Burn, Cyprian Kucaj, Vincent Martin, Folami Iyiola, Mark Frazer, Rohan Ramesh, Omar Shakir

Fitzwilliam I: Josh Douglas (GK), Codrin Moisoi, Cavan Farrow, Tom Willock, Sonny McPherson (CC), Cassidy Ashworth, Tom Randall (CC), Lumi Kanwei, Jed Odagbu, Olamide Ogunnaike, Harry Houillon

Substitutes: Tom Wake, Gareth Effiom, Jathavan Thevarajah, Ben Shires

Fitzwilliam will now face Gonville & Caius I in the quarter-final, after they beat Trinity Hall I 4-0. The fixture will be played in the new year.

Keep track of the rest of the weekend’s Cuppers results here.